Review: Wyrd Sisters

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Cover image "Wyrd Sisters" by Terry Pratchett

Wyrd Sisters

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld, 6) Terry Pratchett. Harper Paperbacks (ISBN: 9780063385559) 2024 (first published in 1988)

Summary: Three witches living in Lancre hide the king’s heir when the king’s assassinated by Duke Felmet, and work to set things right.

Granny Weatherwax, the senior of three witches in Lancre confronts a most unusual situation. A horseman delivers a child and a crown into her hands. King Verence of Lancre has been assassinated by his cousin, Duke Felmet at the behest of his cruel wife. She gathers her sister witches, Nanny Ogg, mother of a slew of kids, and Magrat, the youngest, still enamored with the conventions of witchcraft–cauldrons, jewelry and covens. Most of the time, they help villagers with what ails them. This is not most of the time.

First, what to do with the child, named Tomjon. A company of traveling actors agree to take him and he is raised by Vitoller, who becomes a father to him. Eventually, he will become a gifted actor. The crown is secreted among the props.

The more immediately vexing problem is what to do about Lancre. The land is in trouble as forests are cut down, village burned and people disappeared. The duchess is behind much of it. And as she realizes the danger the witches pose, she and Felmet mount a disinformation campaign to discredit them before the people.

The problem is twofold. One is that they cannot use their power directly against Felmet. The other is having to wait fifteen years until the Tomjon is of age. In the meantime, how much more will Felmet do and at what cost to Lancre? If only they could sidestep time…

Two others play a role. One is dead King Verence, whose ghost escapes the castle, ending up with Nanny Ogg. The other is the Fool, who becomes attracted to Magrat. He also becomes the means of bringing Tomjon back to Lancre. He contacts the company, know based at the Dysk Theatre in Ankh-Morpork. (One of the fun thinks in this book is to note all the Shakespearean allusions.) Hwel, the company’s playwright, accepts a commission for a play to “re-write” Felmet’s history for the people.

This is the least “hither and yon” of the books so far. Most of the action, apart from the troupe’s journey back to Lancre, is in Lancre itself. The maneuverings of the three witches make up for that.

There are some fun turns at the end. But most enjoyable throughout are the interactions between the witches, a parody of the three witches in Macbeth. If there is any lesson, it is knowing when to bend the rules and by how much. Granny and Nanny write the book, very different from the one Magrat consults.

A fascinating story of using soft power to defeat tyranny.

Review: Shadow Ticket

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Cover image of "Shadow Ticket" by Thomas Pynchon

Shadow Ticket

Shadow Ticket, Thomas Pynchon. Penguin Press (ISBN: 9781594206108) 2025.

Summary: Private detective Hop McTaggart hunts down a missing cheese heiress, from Milwaukee to Europe, in a series of madcap capers.

Hicks McTaggart, a one-time strikebreaker, has tried to settle down into a more sedate life as a private detective, working for Unamalgamated Ops in Milwaukee. Instead of bashing heads, he gets the goods on wayward spouses. He has a colorful bunch of “associates”, from mobsters to Nazis. He frequents speakeasys and bowling alleys. Then, along comes the request to track down a missing cheese heiress, Daphne Airmont. Her father, Bruno, is the “Al Capone of cheese” but as the cheese wars heat up, he’s skipped town on a sub, taking him to Europe.

After avoiding a car-bombing and wanting to evade the local authorities investigating a murder he didn’t commit, Hicks decides to take the case. Daphne is following her lover Hap Wingdale, a clarinetist, to join his swing band. But Hicks is one step behind. He lands in Chicago to find she’s off to New York. He heads to New York to find she’s on a boat to Europe. After a night out, he wakes up to find himself on another ship.

Pynchon is just warming up. Hicks gets involved in a series of escapades with Interpol agents and spies, traveling from Belgrade to Budapest, hunting down Ace Lomax, Bruno Airmont’s right hand man, strikes up a relationship with Terike, a woman motorcyclist, and finally finds Daphne in a club in Budapest. I’ll leave the rest for you to discover.

All this is set with the 1930’s as backdrop–Communism appealing to workers and radicals, Europe trying to recover from the great war only to face and in some cases welcome) the rise of Hitler. Some reviewers try to draw parallels to the present day. I’m not so sure that Pynchon isn’t just playing with us. But I do see various figures trying to grab for money or love before it all goes to hell.

One of the challenges of the book is the dialogue, the “argot” as it were of this particular type of underworld. And scenes shift rapidly as various characters move in and out of the narrative.

I’ve not read Pynchon before, so I had no idea of what to expect. Vineland sits on my “to read” pile. We’ll see if I keep reading Pynchon after that. I’ll leave it to others to recommend what’s best to read of Pynchon’s. But I suspect that, despite the achievement of publishing this at 88, this is not his best. But at least he’s alive and writing!

Review: Art Seeking Understanding

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Cover image of "Art Seeking Understanding" edited by Christopher R. Brewer

Art Seeking Understanding

Art Seeking Understanding, Christopher R. Brewer, editor. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885166) 2025.

Summary: A compendium of 23 research project essays studying aesthetic cognitivism funded by the Templeton Religion Trust.

Many of us engage in creating or perceiving artistic works for the sense of delight or pleasure they give us. But can they also be a source of understanding, even of spiritual insight? That is the basic question behind this book, which explores aesthetic cognitivism. This is the theory that art may be a source of understanding and knowledge. The Templeton Religion Trust, following the direction of Sir John Templeton, has offered grants exploring the intersection of science and spirituality in a number of areas of academic inquiry. Art Seeking Understanding brings together scholars working in the fields of philosophical aesthetics, religious and theological aesthetics, and empirical and neuroaesthetics, offering project grants exploring a range of questions:

  • Is there an empirically demonstrable connection between art and understanding vis à vis spiritual reality?
  • What distinctive cognitive value does engagement with art generate?
  • How does participation in artistic activities stimulate spiritual understanding and growth?
  • If art’s primary function is to facilitate understanding, then what is the role of beauty? Is it an unrelated aim, or is it essential to understanding?
  • What advantages, if any, does beautiful art have over non-beautiful art with reference to understanding? (p. 3)

This book is a compendium of 23 essays summarizing the various projects and the results and outputs they have achieved so far. Rather than try to summarize each project, I will highlight a number, summarizing some of the striking aspects of the research I noted.

Kutter Callaway’s “Measuring the [Im]measurable” project highlighted a challenge many researchers faced of developing research methodologies that yielded quantifiable results in addressing research questions. Researchers used everything from subject reports to Virtual Reality, and wearable EEG equipment to register effects of artistic engagements.

Researchers studied engagement with a variety of media: architecture, film, literature, visual art, stained glass, and Islamic art. In addition they considered questions like whether the setting made a difference in understanding, whether beliefs of the subjects affected understanding, and the differences between individual and communal experiences.

Some of the results that stood out to me:

  • In-person versus digital engagement with works of art was more impactful.
  • Architecture matters, with some sites inspiring awe while others promoted learning.
  • Communal reflection increases insight and moral understanding in the film context.
  • One factor in the experience of music that is architecturally-related are the different acoustics of different settings.
  • There is a “mirror” aspect to the understanding of art creators and viewers.
  • Art fluency up to a certain point is important in understanding.

As in other areas of research, one of the themes was that research led to generating new questions, and further research agenda.

If I were to offer one criticism, for a book on art and aesthetics, the focus was on “telling” rather than showing. There were very few diagrams and no images, which may have reflected cost and space considerations. Templeton’s Art Seeking Understanding website provides much more visual content. It could have been helpful to have QR codes linking essays to project videos, which may have enhanced understanding.

That said, the book is a valuable introduction to cognitive aesthetics as well as to a host of researchers doing good work exploring the possibilities for spiritual understanding through art. Since many of us couple artistic work with other forms of cognitive material, this work may be very fruitful in enhancing communication and understanding of spiritual content.

_____________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Last Supper

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Cover image of "The Last Supper" by Paul Elie

The Last Supper

The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s, Paul Elie. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (ISBN: 9780374272920) 2025.

Summary: On controversial artists of the 1980’s, discussing the intersection of sexuality and spirituality in crypto-religious works.

The title of this book refers to the final work of Andy Warhol, one of the major figures chronicled in this cultural history of the 1980’s. But it also signifies the kind of book this is. Warhol’s “The Last Supper” is a series (totally about 100 works) of Warhol’s renderings of da Vinci’s work under the same title. Warhol, like many of the artistic figures on the pages of this book, is followed from his Catholic beginnings in Pittsburgh until his death in 1987.

Paul Elie traces the religiosity of Warhol, who after a near-death experience, attended Mass weekly. Furthermore, he explores what he calls the “crypto-religious” element in his art, most apparent in this final body of work. By “crypto-religious” he means hidden or unconventionally used religious symbols or references, sometimes offering an unconventional take on religion. Not only that, Elie portrays him as a “controvert,” one at odds with oneself on matters of belief. He explores Warhol’s closeted homosexuality and his efforts to reconcile his identity with the church’s stance on his sexuality

These themes run through the more or less chronological history of many of the controversial artists of the 1980’s. He opens the book with Bob Dylan’s “Christian” phase marked by the release of Slow Train Coming with it hit song, “Serve Someone.” He then follows the fan response and Dylan’s continued musical evolution and intersection with other artists through the 1980’s.

What follows is an exploration of the lives and work of artists in various media and the controversy their lives and work arouse. Much of this centers around a sense of alienation and yet longing for faith. It often reflects disillusionment with formal religious structures. The crypto-religious elements express both resistance, sometimes to the point of transgression and yet spiritual longing. Sinead O’Connor tears up a photograph of the Pope as she performs on SNL. Madonna dresses seductively and yet sings “Like a Prayer.” Leonard Cohen has many lovers but also writes “Hallelujah.”

Then in film, Martin Scorsese devotes fifteen years to the religiously motivated filming of Nikos Kazantzakis’ The Last Temptation of Christ. The book and movie arouse controversy because of the “alternate life vision” Jesus has on the cross of marriage to Mary Magdalene. Scorsese felt the work explored the deep humanness of Jesus in contrast to so many film portrayals of Jesus. But the critics thought it blasphemy.

Elie also considers writers including poet Czeslaw Milosz, Toni Morrison and James Baldwin, and even Salman Rushdie. The latter’s human portrayal of the prophet in The Satanic Verses resulted in a fatwa, which remains to this day. Rushdie, like other artists, represents those resisting a religion, that in its behavior contrasts with its highest ideals.

For many of the artists in this book who were raised Catholic, they wrestled with the contradictions in the Church’s response, first to homosexuality, and then to the rampant AIDS epidemic that burned through New York and San Francisco in the mid to late 1980’s. We see the contrast between figures like Daniel Berrigan, comforting the dying, and Cardinal O’Connor. Meanwhile, the first revelations of sexual abuse by priests and the coverups are coming out.

One of the more troubling aspects of the “controvert” character of some of the artists is the celebration of “transgressive sexuality.” For instance, we might consider some of the graphic photographic portrayals in Mapplethorpe’s X Portfolio. Is the response to hypocrisy, repressiveness or flawed understandings of the body to throw off all norms and boundaries? Are we to normalize whatever one would do with one’s body (perhaps with the proviso of “consent”)?

What these artists do reveal is the complexity involved in our sexuality and spirituality. Often, we refer to the “mash-up” of different religions as religious syncretism. I wonder if there is a kind of “sexual-spiritual syncretism” of those who identify as spiritual, or even with a given religion, yet pursue sexual practices at variance with the norms of that religion? It seems that at least some of the portrayals in Elie’s book fall into this category.

Paul Elie not only offers a fascinating cultural narrative of the 1980’s, a walk down memory lane for some. He also raises interesting questions about the controversial artists of this period. His exploration of “crypto-religiosity” challenges us to listen more closely to those we might too quickly dismiss. And he shows how artists of the 1980’s, aware of both bodily and spiritual longings, did not bracket these off from each other. It challenges religious thinkers and teachers to join artists and culture critics wrestling with the realities of our embodied lives.

The Weekly Wrap: May 10-16

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woman in white crew neck t shirt sitting on chair
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Summer Reading

Readers will tell you that any season is a good season for reading. But summers are a special time for many of us. Lighter schedules. Vacations. And, weather and insects permitting, reading al fresco, perhaps with a cool drink at one’s side. My dream is a screened porch near a lake.

It’s not a bad time to think about how to make the most of your reading opportunities. In this Weekly Wrap, I include two lists you might consider. Maybe this is the time to wade into that longer book you held off from reading. Or you might try a new genre. There’s time to shop your shelves or hit the bookstore to stock up.

Maybe you’ll try something else new. Attend a reading or event at a local bookstore. What about imitating Ellen Burstyn and memorizing a poem or two? Or maybe find some people to talk books with–whether a formal book club or just a friend or two. As one of the articles I post here asserts, joining book clubs just might be revolutionary acts!

While I believe books can enrich our lives, I’d encourage you to keep it fun. Summer is not the time to get bogged down in a book. After all, summers are a time for refreshment. Find books that do that for you; set aside the ones that don’t.

To adapt a favorite summer song, “summer time, and the reading is easy.” It’s a good time to look ahead so that will be true for you.

Five Articles Worth Reading

The Atlantic posted “The Summer Reading Guide,” consisting of 25 books in five categories. I was delighted to find one by Columbus native, Wil Haygood, whose books I’ve enjoyed.

Some of us have aspired to read some of the great books of literature, the ones others compare themselves to. The Guardian is publishing a list of 100 from authors, critics and academics around the world. How many have you read?

“Ellen Burstyn Has Been Memorizing Poetry Her Whole Life” describes the actor’s love of poetry, what she’s currently reading and how she organizes her books. If someone can memorize poems at 93, I have no excuse!

We seem to be losing to have conversations in person where we talk and even argue and walk away friends. In “The revolutionary act of reading together: Why book clubs could save the world,” Dana Vanderlugt argues for the value of book clubs in our society.

Demon Copperhead is Barbara Kingsolver’s contemporary re-telling of Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield, both great books. In “‘Institutional Poverty’ in Charles Dickens and Barbara Kingsolver,” Susan Bruxvoort Lipscomb argues the books have very different takes on the role of institutions in perpetuating poverty. She argues Kingsolver portrays corrupt institutions as responsible for perpetuating poverty, whereas Dickens focus more on unfortunate circumstances. Some institutions actually have redemptive influences.

Quote of the Week

Douglas Southall Freeman was born May 14, 1886. He wrote histories of the Civil War and biographies of George Washington and Robert E. Lee. I agree with this observation about character:

“Character is that quality of mind which makes truth-telling instinctive rather than strange.”

Miscellaneous Musings

Artificial Intelligence has been touted for its efficiency. But a new book on Jacques Ellul that I just began included an article that raised questions about how we assess efficiency. We have to consider not just the immediate task but also the huge expenditures of energy, water, land, and resources to run these centers, as well as the costs of ameliorating the consequences of their use. Also, what is the cost to communities where they are sited? AI may not be nearly as efficient as we think if these costs are included.

While we are on the topic of AI, the Authors Guild has released new guidelines that incorporate guiding principles for the use of AI by authors. The Publishers Weekly article included these guidelines that every author ought heed:

 “AI-generated text is not copyrightable, and knowingly failing to disclose AI-generated content in a copyright registration application can constitute fraud on the Copyright Office.” The Guild also warns that “many book contracts also include warranties that the manuscript is the author’s original work, meaning undisclosed inclusion of AI-generated text may put a writer in breach.”

The full guide is well worth reading for any of us who write. It may be accessed here.

I’ve started reading Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket. I’ve not read any other Pynchon before so I don’t know how to compare. It’s kind of a crazy story of a gumshoe from Milwaukee chasing a Cheese heiress while eluding a cheese mafia. It is laced with jargon that makes it a challenge to follow. Still figuring out what I think of it!

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Paul Elie, The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s

Tuesday: Christopher R. Brewer, ed., Art Seeking Understanding

Wednesday: Thomas Pynchon, Shadow Ticket

Thursday: Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters

Friday: William J. Kole, In Guns We Trust

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for May 10-16.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Why I Am Protestant

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Cover image of "Why I Am Protestant" by Beth Felker Jones

Why I Am Protestant

Why I Am Protestant (Ecumenical Dialogue Series), Beth Felker Jones. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514003008) 2025.

Summary: A Protestant theologian addresses the strengths, weaknesses, and contributions of Protestantism.

The Protestant tradition has fostered an emphasis on scripture that has but the Bible in the hands of every believer. Likewise, the focus on God’s grace in our salvation has brought great joy and freedom to many. But it seems that once Protestants broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, they have kept breaking into hundreds of different bodies. Likewise, putting the Bible into the hands of individual believers, while contributing to devotion, has also led to a welter of conflicting readings of scripture. The unity of the Roman Catholic Church and its doctrinal authority have been attractive to many frustrated with the divisions and interpretive chaos the perceive in Protestantism. Why, then, would anyone choose to be Protestant?

Beth Felker Jones was both raised in the Protestant tradition and teaches in a Protestant seminary. She makes a case that affirms Protestant strengths, acknowledges and addresses weaknesses, and does so in an irenic spirit that acknowledges solidarity with Christians in other traditions and the unity of the whole church under Christ.

Jones begins with by describing why she is a Christian. Surprisingly, she is unapologetic of growing up in a Christian home. She sees this as the grace of God (a theme that recurs throughout this book). She narrates the unfolding call of God, complemented by a growing appreciation of the beauty of our shared Christian faith, expressed in the creeds. Above all, she is a Christian because she has believed the good news of the gospel of Christ’s death for sin and resurrection to, and for, life everlasting.

Only then does she address why she is a Protestant Christian. Paradoxically, she claims she is Protestant as a way to embrace the true unity and catholicity of the church. She understands this catholicity as a gift from God through Word and sacrament. The focus on semper reformanda emphasizes the Protestant love for and humble approach toward orthodoxy. Emphasis on the solas emphasizes our salvation as sheer gift of God, not dependent on works, church, priests, or sacraments.

Jones goes on to describe how her Protestantism helps her in her Christian life. Belief in both God’s goodness and human sinfulness helps her understand brokenness both in the church and the world. The scriptures foster her intimacy and knowledge of God. Most of all, Protestant ecclesiology has been vital in her life. She writes:

“If God can and does work in corrupt places, who are we to limit the church to our own institutions and borders? If every historical church is riddled with sin, who are we to claim the rightness of our own churches? But if church is grace, then Protestant churches are church. More, they are church with the very important mission of promulgating the good news that church is powered by God and not by us. The church is the church by grace and not by institutional structures” (p. 51).

She believes this ecclesiology of grace is a crucial contribution that enables the church to face its own brokenness.

But grace doesn’t mean glossing over difficulties. Jones addresses individualism and fragmentation. While problematic, she observes that individualism and fragmentation are the fruits of modernity, and not confined to the Protestant tradition. However, this also allows for faith by consent rather than enforced by authority. She also proposes that interpretive complexity nevertheless acknowledges a center. Also, diversity of interpretation at the edges may offer a flexibility in mission. Indeed, the very fact of scripture in two languages assumes translatability, with the inherent differences that come with this. Jones believes all this calls us not into institutional order but deeper dependence on God.

I particularly appreciated her discussion of Protestantism’s strengths. She began with the idea of home–that our histories matter. Like Jones, I come from generations of Protestants–Presbyterian, Methodist, and Anabaptist. Then she focuses the remainder of this chapter on the riches of a theology of grace. This particularly evident in clarity in understanding of justification and its distinction from sanctification. She then turns to our hope for unity amid diversity–one font and one table. She carries this hope through in treating passages of scripture distinctively appealed to by Protestants.

My only critique in all this is I would have liked her to address what is particularly “broken” in our divisions and our interpretive pluralism and how we remediate these. That said, I thought her discussion of the greatest contribution of Protestants being our ecclesiology of grace a new idea. All told, Jones offers a strongly affirmative account of Protestants without arrogance or polemics. She models how one may be unapologetically Protestant while embracing believers of other traditions as part of one church. And it seems to me that this is how we might best approach the idea of ecumenicity that is the aim of this Ecumenical Dialogue Series.

You might also appreciate my review of the previously published Why I Am A Roman Catholic, by Matthew Levering.

_____________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Cup of Coffee Club

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Cover image of "The Cup of Coffee Club" by Jacob Kornhauser

The Cup of Coffee Club

The Cup of Coffee Club, Jacob Kornhauser. Rowman & Littlefield (ISBN: 9781538175453) 2023.

Summary: The stories of eleven baseball players who played just one game in the Major Leagues.

Most of the baseball books I’ve read recount the stories of championship teams or Hall of Fame players. This book is very different. It chronicles eleven members of the “Cup of Coffee” club, those who played just one game in the Major Leagues, just long enough to have a cup of coffee. One the one hand, it seems to be a dubious honor to be part of this club. Yet from another perspective, it is still quite a honor to be among less than 19,000 players who ever played in the Major Leagues.

One of the eleven, Charlie Lindstrom, was the son of Hall of Famer, Freddie Lindstrom. Two others had brothers who made the Hall of Fame, Larry Yount, brother of Robin Yount, and Stephen Larkin, brother of Barry Larkin. Most came from families where sports was a big deal. All of them had Major League dreams from early on. Many signed on out of high school, others after college.

And then came the long ordeal of working their way through the minors, often more than five years. Time spent honing skills, sometimes helped by coaches, sometimes in spite. One thing most had in common was to play at a position occupied by a star or strong player at the Major League level. In another farm system, they might have made it sooner, and perhaps stayed longer. Kornhauser chronicles the “grit,” the mental mindset that separates those who make it from those who don’t. Often, the biggest challenges is overcoming one’s own self-doubt.

After describing each player’s background and minor league journey, Kornhauser narrates in detail that one game. It was surprising how many hitters had just one at bat and finished with a 1.000 Major League batting average. Likewise, there were several pitchers who pitched scoreless or even hitless outings, ending with a 0.000 ERA (including one credited with an appearance who never threw a pitch). One wonders, why didn’t they stay. Usually, it was because the player they replaced returned. One player, Sam Marsonek, had a boating accident during the All-Star break and was never the same. Playing injuries hampered several others, who were never able to return to top form.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the stories is how they dealt with life afterwards. Some thought they’d be back only to return to the minors. For some, it was devastating, reflected in their performance. Marsonek was in a deteriorating spiral of alcohol abuse until a mission trip led to faith and eventually, leadership of a sports ministry. For most, they eventually came to a place of being at peace with or even proud of what they achieved. Larry Yount achieved success in business. Others stayed in the game, coaching at various levels, mentoring younger players. Jeff Banister managed the Texas Rangers, being named AL Manager of the Year in his rookie year in 2015. Ron Wright went on to earn a pharmacy degree and works as a pharmacist.

Kornhauser concludes with other “cup of coffee” stories including that of Bert Shepard, who lost a leg in World War Two but pitched a game with the Senators. The stories he tells give us just as much sense of the “inside” life of baseball as the accounts of the star players. He helps us appreciate how hard players work just to make it to the Majors. He also helps us understand the challenge every player who plays the game and loves it faces when it’s time to hang it up. Yet each of the men here did navigate that transition, though not without struggles. Kornhauser combines good research and storytelling to celebrate those who made it, even for one game. A great book for anyone who loves the game.

Review: Between Interpretation and Imagination

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Cover image of "Between Interpretation and Imagination" by Leslie Baynes

Between Interpretation and Imagination

Between Interpretation and Imagination, Leslie Baynes. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802874009) 2025.

Summary: C.S. Lewis as Bible interpreter, vis a vis biblical criticism, the trilemma argument, and Narnia.

I am among those shaped profoundly by the works of C. S. Lewis. Mere Christianity spoke to me of the reasonableness of Christian belief as a young believer in conversation with skeptical friends. Over the years, I often used his “Liar, Lunatic or Lord” argument, also referred to as “the trilemma.” And like many, his works of fiction opened up to me the reality of a Christian imagination.

Yet like all human beings, C.S. Lewis was fallible. He discovered this painfully when bested in debate by Elizabeth Anscombe, discussing the problem of pain. Leslie Baynes, who is associate professor of New Testament and Second Temple Judaism at Missouri State University has steeped herself deeply in the work of Lewis as a scholar in residence at the Kilns as well as in New Testament scholarship. She combines these two foci to examine and critique Lewis’s engagement with scripture. On one hand, she will find numerous flaws in Lewis’s engagement with biblical scholarship. On the other hand, she will take us deep into the world of Narnia and how Lewis’s scripture-saturated imagination shows up in these stories.

The first part of the book considers what Lewis read about scripture and how this influenced him. James Moffatt shaped his ideas about the harmony of the gospels, including the very different gospel of John. Charles Gore more than anyone shaped his doctrine of scripture with his emphasis on the incarnation, how not all scripture is divine in the same way, how the Old Testament prepares the way for Christ and how Jesus, not scripture is the word of God.

The second part of the book addresses specific case studies and controversies. Lewis identified with neither the fundamentalists or the modernists. He did not, unlike the fundamentalists, consider scripture inerrant, even though he shared other common ground with them. If anything, he was more scathing in criticism toward modernists. And it is here that Baynes most strongly criticizes him as a scholar. She highlights his essay “Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism.” She notes errors of Lewis in citations, and believes he fundamentally misread Bultmann. Rather, she thinks Lewis and Bultmann may have had more in common than Lewis thought.

Then, she comes to Lewis’s “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord” argument. She observes how Lewis invents statements by Jesus found nowhere in the canonical text. Basically, she contends that Lewis’s assertion that Jesus taught that he was God overstates the case. Only in his trial does he unambiguously say this (although it may be argued that other statements infer, if not state his identity as God). She observes that the argument as Lewis states it collapses with the knowledgeable.

The third part has a very different tone. Here, Baynes takes each of the Narnia stories and explores how they reflect Lewis’s biblical imagination. She finds biblical allusions others have missed. For example, she concludes her chapter on The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader” with a chart of ten allusions to the Gospel of John and the corresponding plot element in the story. Many of the allusions are subtle, and Baynes concludes, as have others that Lewis does so to steal past watchful dragons.

Baynes concludes that Lewis’s errors were those of a theological amateur. She wishes he were alive because “he loved a healthy intellectual brawl.” She thinks there was a lot Lewis got right, including his rejection of biblical inerrancy combined with his life of loving obedience.

Baynes close reading of Lewis points up legitimate flaws in his scholarship, something academics do for each other in the service of truth. For any of us engaged in apologetic work, her critique of Lewis’s framing of the trilemma points the way to making a stronger argument. What I had wished for was more balance in affirming the strengths of Lewis’s critique against the modernists, particularly the subjective character of their judgments. On the other hand, she offered an extremely helpful “readers guide” to the Chronicles that made me want to read them again. This is Lewis scholarship that breaks new ground and reminds me of the legacy of riches he left us.

_______________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Prodigal of Leningrad

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Cover image of "The Prodigal of Leningrad" by Daniel Taylor

The Prodigal of Leningrad

The Prodigal of Leningrad, Daniel Taylor. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9798893480221) 2026.

Summary: During the siege of Leningrad, a docent who had betrayed his grandfather finds himself in Rembrandt’s Prodigal.

At the beginning of the siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), the Hermitage, one of the world’s great art museums, shipped the canvases of its collection eastward to a secret hiding place to keep them out of Nazi hands. In this work of historical fiction, the central character, Daniil, is a volunteer docent in the museum. But what does a docent do when visitors arrive but all that is left are the frames? He describes in detail the painting and the story of the artist and its composition.

The most famous of the masterworks was Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal. It was the one on which Daniil spent the most time. The painting holds a personal attraction for him reflecting his dark past.

Daniil, as a newly married father back in 1920, had great hopes for his future as a university student. That is, until he was called in to be interrogated one day. His grandfather, Anatoly Ivanovich Aslanov had been a history professor who became a priest. He went underground and the authorities were seeking him, supposedly to “persuade” him to return to teaching. Daniil, in a moment of weakness, confesses that his grandfather joined the family for Christmas celebrations. They arrested the grandfather that day, sending him to the Gulag. And they still revoked Daniil’s university admission. He has carried the guilt of that betrayal all his life.

The narrative moves back and forth between the grandfather’s life in the Gulag and Daniil, mostly focusing on conditions during the siege. The grandfather sees his imprisonment as a call from God and himself as immortal until he finishes his work. Much of that is to rescue other prisoners from despair. At one point, he and another prisoner are confined in an underground confinement cell from which none had emerged alive. Yet they emerge, kept warm by God.

Taylor describes the conditions of the siege, where rations were grossly inadequate to keep people alive. Daniil and his friends Aleksandr and Lev buoy each other’s spirits. Eventually Lev succumbs to starvation and Taylor describes the agonizing journey Aleksandr and Daniil make across the city, weak themselves to bury Lev and his wife. One of the most moving (and historically accurate), moments was when Aleksandr and other musicians perform the premiere of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, the ‘Leningrad.’ They mount speakers so that the Germans can hear the performance and the spirit of defiance of those in the city.

As Daniil weakens in his own body, he keeps telling the story of The Return of the Prodigal. He begins to speak of the spiritual significance of the painting, defying the censors. But will he believe that story for himself?

Daniel Taylor weaves a story that gives an unsparing portrayal of the Soviet Union under communism–the secret police, the Gulags, the effort to exterminate belief. He also describes the heroism of both citizens and soldiers who held out for 900 days until the Germans relented. But above all, he tells the story of both a faithful priest and the grandson who struggles with what seems an unforgiveable betrayal. Taylor explores whether the light of God’s goodness and mercy can reach the darkest corners of the Gulag and the troubled soul of the betrayer.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Silence and Speaking Freely

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Cover image of "Silence and Speaking Freely" by Sabino Chialà

Silence and Speaking Freely

Silence and Speaking Freely, Sabino Chialà, Translated by John McAreavey. Liturgical Press (ISBN: 9798400803048) 2026.

Summary: A translation of two talks by a monastic prior on what it means to live in an integrity of silence and speech.

We live in a society that finds silence difficult and often speaks carelessly or hurtfully. Yet learning to practice silence to know both ourselves and God and speaking with a conscience-tested integrity are both part of authentic spirituality. In addition, the two of these are deeply connected. These are key ideas of this concise book, consisting of translations of two talks by the prior of the Monastery of Bose, Br. Sabino Chialà. Chialà draws on the monastic tradition and the writing of the Desert Fathers to reflect deeply on both silence and speech.

First, he addresses the ambiguity of silence. There are good and bad silences. In silence we may conceal fear, contempt, or deception. True silence is an openness to humbly receive. Through silence, we attend to our interior lives, to the word of God, to prayer, to discernment, to suffering, and to God, who sometimes is silent with us, or is present in our silence. But silence is a struggle, most significantly with the fear of encountering ourselves. Yet we are encouraged to persist to where God give true silence. Quoting George Bernanos, he reminds us “Keeping silent, what a strange expression! Silence keeps us.”

Then, the second talk turns to “thinking and speaking.” Chialà begins with an extended reflection on conscience, urging the recovery of its use, as the basis of our speech. Pope Francis describes conscience as “the interior place for listening to the truth, to goodness, for listening to God; it is the inner place of my relationship with the one who speaks to my heart and helps me to discern, to understand the way I must take and, once the decision is made, to go forward, to stay faithful.” One recognizes the connection between silence and the exercise of conscience. Furthermore, Chialà grounds his discussion of conscience in a biblical theology of conscience.

When we speak from a clear, discerning conscience, we are able to speak with freedom. For Chialà, this involves parrhesia, which translates as sincere, free, and truthful speech. Once again, Chialà grounds his ideas in an extensive biblical survey, culminating with Christ. Parrhesia is humble, grounded in relationship, and respectful of persons. But it is not fearful. Rather, it trusts in God.

In conclusion, Sabino Chialà offers vital reflections for living spiritual lives of integrity. Silence provides the place for us to discern, to exercise conscience before God. Out of this comes speech that is good, true, and free. In addition, the coupling of these practices forms us as people who attend to God and his Word, and out of this speak lifegiving words.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.